Gunsmoke

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Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central character is lawman Marshal Matt Dillon, played by William Conrad on radio and James Arness on television.

Contents

The radio series ran from 1952 to 1961. John Dunning wrote that among radio drama enthusiasts, "Gunsmoke is routinely placed among the best shows of any kind and any time." [1] It ran unsponsored for its first few years, with CBS funding its production.

In 1955, the series was adapted for television and ran for 20 seasons. From 1955 to 1961, it ran in half-hour episodes, and one-hour episodes from 1962 to 1975. A total of 635 episodes were aired over its 20 year run. At the end of its run in 1975, Los Angeles Times columnist Cecil Smith wrote: "Gunsmoke was the dramatization of the American epic legend of the west. Our own Iliad and Odyssey, created from standard elements of the dime novel and the pulp Western as romanticized by [Ned] Buntline, [Bret] Harte, and [Mark] Twain. It was ever the stuff of legend." [2]

Following its regular television series run, five made-for-tv movies were produced.

The show won 15 Primetime Emmy awards as well as other accolades. It was frequently well received, holding a top-10 spot in the Nielsen ratings for several seasons.

When aired in the United Kingdom, the television series was initially titled Gun Law. [3]

Radio series (1952–1961)

Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke22.jpg
Publicity photo from Gunsmoke's radio version (photo from 1954)
Genre Western
Running time30 minutes
Country of originUnited States
Language(s)English
TV adaptations Gunsmoke
Starring
AnnouncerGeorge Walsh
Created by
Produced byNorman Macdonnell
Original releaseApril 26, 1952 (1952-04-26) 
June 18, 1961 (1961-06-18)
No. of series9
No. of episodes480 (List of episodes)
Audio formatMonaural

In the late 1940s, CBS chairman William S. Paley, a fan of the Philip Marlowe radio series, asked his programming chief, Hubell Robinson, to develop a hardcore Western series, about a "Philip Marlowe of the Old West". Robinson delegated this to his West Coast CBS vice president, Harry Ackerman, who had developed the Philip Marlowe series. [4]

Ackerman and his scriptwriters, Mort Fine and David Friedkin, created an audition script called "Mark Dillon Goes to Gouge Eye" based on one of their Michael Shayne radio scripts, "The Case of the Crooked Wheel", from mid-1948. Two versions were recorded. The first, recorded in June 1949, was very much like a hardcore detective series and starred Michael Rye (credited as Rye Billsbury) as Dillon; [5] [4] the second, recorded in July 1949, starred Straight Arrow actor Howard Culver in a more Western, lighter version of the same script. [6] [7] CBS liked the Culver version better, and Ackerman was told to proceed.

A complication arose when Culver's contract as the star of Straight Arrow would not allow him to do another Western series. The project was suspended for three years, when producer Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston discovered it while creating an adult Western series of their own. [8]

Macdonnell and Meston wanted to create a radio Western for adults, in contrast to the prevailing juvenile fare such as The Lone Ranger and The Cisco Kid . Gunsmoke was set in Dodge City, Kansas, during the thriving cattle days of the 1870s. Dunning notes, "The show drew critical acclaim for unprecedented realism." [1]

Episodes

Cast

The radio series first aired on CBS on April 26, 1952, with the episode "Billy the Kid", written by Walter Newman, and ended on June 18, 1961. The show stars William Conrad as Marshal Matt Dillon, Howard McNear as Doc Charles Adams, Georgia Ellis as Kitty Russell, and Parley Baer as Dillon's assistant, Chester Wesley Proudfoot.

Matt Dillon

William Conrad in 1952, when Matt Dillon was created on radio William Conrad 1952.JPG
William Conrad in 1952, when Matt Dillon was created on radio

Matt Dillon was played on radio by William Conrad and on television by James Arness. Two versions of the same pilot episode titled "Mark Dillon Goes to Gouge Eye" were produced with Rye Billsbury and Howard Culver playing Marshal Mark Dillon as the lead, not yet played by Conrad. Conrad was one of the last actors to audition for the role of Marshal Dillon. With a resonantly powerful and distinctive voice, Conrad was already one of radio's busiest actors. Though Meston championed him, Macdonnell thought Conrad might be overexposed. During his audition, however, Conrad won over Macdonnell after reading only a few lines. Dillon, as portrayed by Conrad, was a lonely, isolated man, toughened by a hard life. Macdonnell later claimed, "Much of Matt Dillon's character grew out of Bill Conrad." [9]

Meston relished the upending of cherished Western fiction clichés and said that few Westerns gave any inkling of how brutal the Old West was in reality. Many episodes were based on man's cruelty to man and woman, inasmuch as the prairie woman's life and the painful treatment of women as chattels were touched on well ahead of the time of most media. As originally pitched to CBS executives, this was to be an adult Western, not a grown-up Hopalong Cassidy .

Dunning writes that Meston was especially disgusted by the archetypal Western hero and set out "to destroy [that type of] character he loathed". In Meston's view, "Dillon was almost as scarred as the homicidal psychopaths who drifted into Dodge from all directions." [1]

Doc Adams

Howard McNear starred as Dr. Charles Adams in the radio series, and Milburn Stone portrayed Dr. Galen Adams in the television version. In the radio series, "Doc" Adams was initially a self-interested and somewhat dark character with a predilection for constantly attempting to increase his revenue through the procurement of autopsy fees. He was acerbic, somewhat mercenary, and borderline alcoholic, in the program's early years. His real name was Dr. Calvin Moore. [10] He came west and changed his name to escape a charge of murder. However, McNear's performances steadily became more warm-hearted and sympathetic. Doc wandered throughout the territories until he settled in Dodge City 17 years later under the name of Charles Adams. Conrad borrowed the surname from cartoonist Charles Addams as a testament to Doc's initially ghoulish comportment. Milburn Stone was given free rein to choose the character's first name, and chose that of the ancient Greek physician and medical researcher Galen.

Miss Kitty

Kitty was played by actress Georgia Ellis on radio, and by Amanda Blake on television. Ellis first appeared in the radio episode "Billy the Kid" (April 26, 1952) as "Francie Richards" – a former girlfriend of Matt Dillon's and the widow of a criminal, but the character of "Miss Kitty" did not appear until the May 10, 1952, episode "Jaliscoe". Sometime in 1959, Ellis was billed as Georgia Hawkins instead of Georgia Ellis. Amanda Blake appeared in over 500 episodes of the television series, with her last being the April 1, 1974, episode titled, "The Disciple".

In the radio series, Kitty's profession was hinted at, but never explicit; in a 1953 interview with Time, Macdonnell declared, "Kitty is just someone Matt has to visit every once in a while". [1] The magazine observed that she is "obviously not selling chocolate bars". [11] The television show first portrayed Kitty as a saloon dance hall employee, then from season two, episode 36 ("Daddy-O"), as half-owner of the Long Branch Saloon.

Dillon and Kitty clearly have a close personal relationship.

Distinction from other radio Westerns

The interior of the real Long Branch Saloon in Dodge City, Kansas, photographed between 1870 and 1885 Long Branch Saloon interior.jpg
The interior of the real Long Branch Saloon in Dodge City, Kansas, photographed between 1870 and 1885

Gunsmoke is often a somber program, particularly in its early years. Dunning writes that Dillon "played his hand and often lost. He arrived too late to prevent a lynching. He amputated a dying man's leg and lost the patient anyway. He saved a girl from brutal rapists, then found himself unable to offer her what she needed to stop her from moving into ... life as a prostitute." [1] Some listeners, such as Dunning, argue the radio version was more realistic. Episodes were aimed at adults with some of the most explicit content of their time, including violent crimes, scalpings, massacres, and opium addicts. Many episodes end on a somber note, and villains often get away with their crimes.

The program was set after the arrival of the railroad in Dodge City (1872) and Kansas had been a state since 1861. In reality, a U.S. Marshal (actually a deputy marshal, because only the senior officer in the district holds the title "marshal") would not be based in Dodge City and would not be involved in local law enforcement.

Apart from the doleful tone, Gunsmoke is distinct from other radio Westerns, as the dialogue is often slow and halting, and the outstanding sound effects give a palpable sense of the prairie setting. The effects are subtle but multilayered, giving the show a spacious feel. John Dunning wrote, "The listener heard extraneous dialogue in the background, just above the muted shouts of kids playing in an alley. He heard noises from the next block, too, where the inevitable dog was barking." [1]

Gunsmoke is unique from other Westerns in that it was unsponsored in the first few years of production. The program was funded by CBS in the first two years. Series producers said that if the show were sponsored, they would have to "clean the show up". [12] The producers wanted to find a sponsor that would allow them to keep the show the way it was. [13]

Television proposal

Not long after the radio show began, talk began of adapting it to television. Privately, Macdonnell had a guarded interest in taking the show to television, but publicly, he declared, "our show is perfect for radio", and he feared, as Dunning writes, "Gunsmoke confined by a picture could not possibly be as authentic or attentive to detail. ... In the end, CBS simply took it away from Macdonnell and began preparing for the television version." [1]

Conrad and the others were given auditions, but they were little more than token efforts especially in Conrad's case, due to his obesity. However, Meston was kept as the main writer. In the early years, most of the television episodes were adapted from the radio scripts, often using identical scenes and dialogue. Dunning wrote, "That radio fans considered the TV show a sham and its players impostors should surprise no one. That the TV show was not a sham is due in no small part to the continued strength of Meston's scripts." [1]

Macdonnell and Meston continued the radio version of Gunsmoke until 1961, making it one of the most enduring vintage radio dramas.

Conrad directed two television episodes, in 1963 and 1971, and McNear appeared on six, playing characters other than Doc, including three times as storekeeper Howard Rudd.

Television series (1955–1975) and TV movies

Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke (CBS 1955 -1975 television series logo).png
Genre Western
Based on
Developed by Charles Marquis Warren
Starring
Theme music composer
  • Rex Koury
  • Glenn Spencer
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons
  • 6 (Marshal Dillon, syndication retitling of half-hour episodes)
  • 14 (Gunsmoke),
  • 20 (total seasons)
No. of episodes
  • 233 (Marshal Dillon, syndication retitling of half-hour episodes), 402 (Gunsmoke)
  • 635 (total episodes)
(list of episodes)
Production
Running time
  • 26 minutes (1955–1961)
  • 50 minutes (1961–1975)
Production companies
Original release
Network CBS
ReleaseSeptember 10, 1955 (1955-09-10) 
March 31, 1975 (1975-03-31)

The television series ran from September 10, 1955, to March 31, 1975, on CBS, with 635 total episodes. It is the second Western television series written for adults, premiering on September 10, 1955, four days after The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp . [14] The first 12 seasons aired Saturdays at 10 pm, seasons 13 through 16 aired Mondays at 7:30 pm, and the last four seasons aired Mondays at 8 pm. During its second season in 1956, the program joined the list of the top-10 television programs broadcast in the United States. It quickly moved to number one and stayed there until 1961. It remained among the top-20 programs until 1964. [15]

Transition from radio to TV

When Gunsmoke was adapted for television in 1955, contrary to a campaign to persuade the network, the network was not interested in bringing either Conrad or his radio costars to the television medium. Conrad's weight was rumored to be a deciding factor. Denver Pyle was also considered for the role, as was Raymond Burr, who was ultimately also seen as too heavy for the part. Charles Warren, television Gunsmoke's first director, said, "His voice was fine, but he was too big. When he stood up, his chair stood with him." [16] It has long been rumored that John Wayne was offered the role of Matt Dillon; according to Dennis Weaver's comments on the 50th Anniversary DVD, disc one, episode "Hack Prine", John Wayne was never even considered for the role; to have done so would have been preposterous, since Wayne was a top movie leading man. The belief that Wayne was asked to star is disputed by Warren. Although he agrees Wayne encouraged Arness to take the role, Warren says, "I hired Jim Arness on the strength of a picture he's done for me ... I never thought for a moment of offering it to Wayne." [17]

According to Thomas "Duke" Miller, a television and movie celebrity expert, this story was told to him by legendary actor James Stewart: "Jimmy said he was in the office with Charles Warren when Mr. Wayne came in. Mr. Warren asked Wayne if he knew James Arness, and Mr. Wayne said yes. Mr. Warren told Mr. Wayne about the transition of the show from radio to television, and Mr. Wayne readily agreed that James Arness would be a terrific choice for the part of Matt Dillon. I have no reason to doubt the story, because Jimmy absolutely knew everybody."

In the end, the primary roles were all recast, with Arness as Marshal Matt Dillon (on the recommendation of Wayne, who also introduced the pilot), Dennis Weaver as Chester Goode, Milburn Stone as Dr. G. "Doc" Adams (the G. later specified as standing for Galen), and Amanda Blake as Miss Kitty Russell. Macdonnell became the associate producer of the television show and later the producer. Meston was head writer.

The series was filmed at the present site of California Lutheran University (CLU) and nearby Wildwood Regional Park in Thousand Oaks, California. [18] [19] [20]

In 1975, CBS made the decision not to renew Gunsmoke for a 21st season, without making any public announcement or informing the producers or cast members ahead of time. The entire cast was stunned by the cancellation, as they were unaware that CBS was considering it. According to Arness, "We didn't do a final, wrap-up show. We finished the 20th year, we all expected to go on for another season, or two or three. The (network) never told anybody they were thinking of cancelling." The cast and crew read the news in the trade papers. [21]

Cast

1963 cast with Burt Reynolds Gunsmoke cast 1963.JPG
1963 cast with Burt Reynolds
Ken Curtis as Festus and Arness as Dillon, 1968 Ken Curtis James Arness Gunsmoke 1968.JPG
Ken Curtis as Festus and Arness as Dillon, 1968
Clockwise from top: Ken Curtis (Festus), James Arness (Matt), Amanda Blake (Kitty), and Milburn Stone (Doc) in 1968 Gunsmoke main cast 1967.JPG
Clockwise from top: Ken Curtis (Festus), James Arness (Matt), Amanda Blake (Kitty), and Milburn Stone (Doc) in 1968
Dennis Weaver and Mariette Hartley, 1962 Dennis Weaver Mariette Hartley Gunsmoke 1962.JPG
Dennis Weaver and Mariette Hartley, 1962

Chester and Festus Haggen are Dillon's sidekicks, though others became acting deputies for 2+12- to 7+12-year stints: Quint Asper (Burt Reynolds) (1962–65), Thad Greenwood (Roger Ewing) (1965–67), and Newly O'Brien (Buck Taylor) (1967–75), who served as both back-up deputy and doctor-in-training, having some studies in medicine through his uncle, which then continued under Doc Adams. Initially on the fringes of Dodge society, Festus Haggen was slowly phased in as a reliable sidekick and part-time deputy to Matt Dillon when Reynolds left in 1965. When Milburn Stone temporarily left for heart bypass surgery in 1971, Pat Hingle played Dr. John Chapman for several episodes.

Music

The Gunsmoke radio theme song and later television theme is titled "Old Trails", also known as "Boothill". The Gunsmoke theme was composed by Rex Koury. [22] The original radio version was conducted by Koury. The television version was thought to have been first conducted by CBS west coast music director Lud Gluskin. The lyrics of the theme, never aired on the radio or television show, were recorded and released by Tex Ritter in 1955. Ritter was backed on that Capitol record by Rex Koury and the radio Gunsmoke orchestra. [23]

Other notable composers included:

Format

From 1955 to 1961, Gunsmoke was a half-hour show, retitled Marshal Dillon in syndication. It then went to an hour-long format. The series was retitled Gun Law in the UK. The Marshal Dillon syndicated reruns of half-hour episodes lasted from 1961 until 1964 on CBS, originally on Tuesday nights within its time in reruns.

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally airedRank [24] Rating [24] Viewers
(millions)
First airedLast aired
1 39September 10, 1955 (1955-09-10)August 25, 1956 (1956-08-25)
2 39September 8, 1956 (1956-09-08)June 29, 1957 (1957-06-29)832.7 [lower-alpha 1] 12.72 [25]
3 39September 14, 1957 (1957-09-14)June 7, 1958 (1958-06-07)143.118.06 [26]
4 39September 13, 1958 (1958-09-13)June 13, 1959 (1959-06-13)139.617.40 [27]
5 39September 5, 1959 (1959-09-05)June 11, 1960 (1960-06-11)140.318.43 [28]
6 38September 3, 1960 (1960-09-03)June 17, 1961 (1961-06-17)137.317.60 [29]
7 34September 30, 1961 (1961-09-30)May 26, 1962 (1962-05-26)328.313.74 [30]
8 38September 15, 1962 (1962-09-15)June 1, 1963 (1963-06-01)1027.013.58 [31]
9 36September 28, 1963 (1963-09-28)June 6, 1964 (1964-06-06)2023.512.12 [32]
10 36September 26, 1964 (1964-09-26)May 29, 1965 (1965-05-29)2722.611.91 [33]
11 32September 18, 1965 (1965-09-18)May 7, 1966 (1966-05-07)3021.311.47 [34]
12 29September 17, 1966 (1966-09-17)April 15, 1967 (1967-04-15)3419.911.33
13 25September 11, 1967 (1967-09-11)March 4, 1968 (1968-03-04)425.5 [lower-alpha 2] 14.45 [35]
14 26September 23, 1968 (1968-09-23)March 24, 1969 (1969-03-24)624.914.50 [36]
15 26September 22, 1969 (1969-09-22)March 23, 1970 (1970-03-23)225.915.15 [37]
16 24September 14, 1970 (1970-09-14)March 8, 1971 (1971-03-08)525.515.32 [38]
17 24September 13, 1971 (1971-09-13)March 13, 1972 (1972-03-13)426.016.14 [39]
18 24September 11, 1972 (1972-09-11)March 5, 1973 (1973-03-05)823.6 [lower-alpha 3] 15.29 [40]
19 24September 10, 1973 (1973-09-10)April 1, 1974 (1974-04-01)1522.114.63 [41]
20 24September 9, 1974 (1974-09-09)March 31, 1975 (1975-03-31)2620.714.04 [42]
Television films September 26, 1987 (1987-09-26)February 10, 1994 (1994-02-10)

Syndication

In syndication, the entire 20-year run of Gunsmoke is separated into three packages by CBS Television Distribution:

The program currently airs on four major venues: TV Land, which has carried the show since its inception in 1996, Encore Westerns, INSP, and Weigel Broadcasting's MeTV digital subchannel network. Individual stations such as KFWD in Dallas also carry the series in their markets. It has also been shown on satellite channel CBS Action in the UK, Ireland and Poland. The series also appears intermittently on MeTV's themed sister network Decades, which CBS holds a partial interest in; it appears on the schedule depending on the theme and year a particular day has.

Home media

In 2006, as part of Gunsmoke's 50th anniversary on television, selected episodes were released on DVD in three different box sets. Twelve episodes, from 1955 to 1964, were selected for the Gunsmoke: Volume I box set, and another twelve episodes, from 1964 to 1975, were selected for the Gunsmoke: Volume II box set. Both sets are also available as a combined single "Gift Box Set". A third unique DVD box set, known as Gunsmoke: The Directors Collection, was also released with 10 selected episodes from certain seasons throughout the series' 20-year history. All of these box sets are available on Region 1 DVD from Paramount Home Entertainment and CBS DVD.

Additionally, Paramount Home Entertainment and CBS DVD have released the series in its entirety on DVD for 13 years between 2007 and 2020 in Region 1 (all of the seasons except for season one and seasons sixteen through twenty were split into two volumes). A complete series box set was released on May 5, 2020. All DVDs have been released with English audio and close captioning from season 1 to 5 and starting season 6 English SDH.

DVD releases – Seasons 1–20
DVD NameEp #Release Date
The First Season39July 17, 2007
The Second Season, Volume 120January 8, 2008
The Second Season, Volume 219May 27, 2008
The Third Season, Volume 119December 9, 2008
The Third Season, Volume 220May 26, 2009
The Fourth Season, Volume 119October 5, 2010
The Fourth Season, Volume 220December 14, 2010
The Fifth Season, Volume 120October 11, 2011
The Fifth Season, Volume 219December 13, 2011
The Sixth Season, Volume 119August 7, 2012
The Sixth Season, Volume 219October 16, 2012
The Seventh Season, Volume 117December 11, 2012
The Seventh Season, Volume 217February 5, 2013
The Eighth Season, Volume 119May 7, 2013
The Eighth Season, Volume 219May 7, 2013
The Ninth Season, Volume 118August 6, 2013
The Ninth Season, Volume 218August 6, 2013
DVD NameEp #Release Date
The Tenth Season, Volume 118August 12, 2014
The Tenth Season, Volume 218August 12, 2014
The Eleventh Season, Volume 116December 2, 2014
The Eleventh Season, Volume 216December 2, 2014
The Twelfth Season, Volume 115September 20, 2016
The Twelfth Season, Volume 214September 20, 2016
The Thirteenth Season, Volume 115May 22, 2018
The Thirteenth Season, Volume 210May 22, 2018
The Fourteenth Season, Volume 115February 5, 2019
The Fourteenth Season, Volume 211February 5, 2019
The Fifteenth Season, Volume 115October 1, 2019
The Fifteenth Season, Volume 211October 1, 2019
The Sixteenth Season24December 10, 2019
The Seventeenth Season24December 10, 2019
The Eighteenth Season24February 4, 2020
The Nineteenth Season24February 4, 2020
The Final Season24May 5, 2020

TV movies

In 1987, CBS commissioned a reunion movie titled Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge . James Arness and Amanda Blake returned in their iconic roles of Matt Dillon and Miss Kitty, with Fran Ryan returning as Kitty's friend and saloon-owner Hannah and Buck Taylor as Newly O'Brian. Doc Adams and Festus Haggen were not featured in the film. Milburn Stone had died seven years earlier in 1980 and the role of Doc was not recast. Ken Curtis balked at the salary offer he received and said that he should be paid based on Festus's importance in the character hierarchy. The screenwriters responded to Curtis's absence by making Newly the new Dodge City marshal. The film, shot in Alberta, features a now-retired Marshal Dillon being attacked and a vengeful former rival returning to Dodge City to entrap him.

In 1990, the second telefilm, Gunsmoke: The Last Apache , premiered. Because Amanda Blake had died the year before, the writers revisited a 1973 episode for the movie. The episode was based on "Matt's Love Story". In the episode, Matt loses his memory and his heart during a brief liaison with "Mike" Yardner (played by Michael Learned, better known for playing Olivia in The Waltons ). In the film, Learned returns as Mike, who reveals to Marshal Dillon that he is the father of their daughter, [44] Beth (played by Amy Stock-Poynton) and asks him for help in saving her from a band on Apaches. Other films included Gunsmoke: To the Last Man (1992), Gunsmoke: The Long Ride (1993), and Gunsmoke: One Man's Justice (1994). Arness stars in all five made-for-television movies.

Reception

Amanda Blake and Jack Albertson, 1969. Amanda Blake Jack Albertson Gunsmoke 1969.JPG
Amanda Blake and Jack Albertson, 1969.
Guest star Bette Davis, 1966. James Arness Amanda Blake Bette Davis Gunsmoke 1966.JPG
Guest star Bette Davis, 1966.
Guest stars Anne Helm and John Drew Barrymore, 1964. Anne Helm John Drew Barrymore 1964.JPG
Guest stars Anne Helm and John Drew Barrymore, 1964.

Primetime Emmy

Year [lower-alpha 1] CategoryNominee(s) / WorkResultRef(s)
1956 Best Action or Adventure SeriesGunsmokeNominated
1957 Best Continuing Performance by an Actor in a Dramatic SeriesJames ArnessNominated
1958 Best Continuing Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic or Comedy SeriesJames ArnessNominated
Best Continuing Supporting Performance by an Actor in a Dramatic or Comedy SeriesDennis WeaverNominated
Best Dramatic Series with Continuing CharactersGunsmokeWon
Best Editing of a Film for TelevisionMike Pozen for "How to Kill a Woman"Won
Best Teleplay Writing (Half-Hour or Less)John Meston for "Born to Hang"Nominated
1959 Best Actor in a Leading Role (Continuing Character) in a Dramatic SeriesJames ArnessNominated
Best Supporting Actor (Continuing Character) in a Dramatic SeriesDennis WeaverWon
Best Supporting Actress (Continuing Character) in a Dramatic SeriesAmanda BlakeNominated
Best Western SeriesGunsmokeNominated
1966 Individual Achievements in Music - CompositionMorton Stevens for "Seven Hours to Dawn"Nominated
1968 Outstanding Achievement in Musical CompositionMorton Stevens for "Major Glory"Nominated
Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a DramaMilburn StoneWon
1970 Outstanding Achievement in Film Sound EditingNorman Karlin and Richard E. RadermanWon [lower-alpha 2]
  1. Indicates the year of ceremony.
  2. Tied with Alex Bamattre, Michael Colgan, Douglas H. Grindstaff, Joe Kavigan, Bill Lee, and Josef E. Von Stroheim for ABC Movie of the Week: The Immortal

Accolades

Viewer reception

Gunsmoke was television's number-one-ranked show from 1957 to 1961, then expanded to one hour, and slipped into a decline. In 1967, the 12th season, CBS planned to cancel the series, but widespread viewer reaction (including a mention in Congress and the behind-the-scenes pressure from Babe Paley, the wife of CBS's longtime president William S. Paley) prevented its demise. On the Biography Channel's Behind The Scenes: Gilligan's Island (2002), Gilligan's Island producer Sherwood Schwartz states that Babe pressured her husband not to cancel Gunsmoke in 1967, so the network cut Gilligan's Island, instead. The show continued in its new time slot at 8 pm on Mondays. This scheduling move led to a spike in ratings that had it once again rally to the top 10 in the Nielsen ratings, which again saved the series when CBS purged most of its rural content in 1971. The series remained in the top 10 until the 1973–74 television season. [54] In September 1975, though still ranking among the top-30 programs in the ratings, Gunsmoke was canceled after a 20-year run; it was replaced by Mary Tyler Moore spin-offs Rhoda and Phyllis (though Rhoda actually debuted while Gunsmoke was still airing first-run). Thirty television Westerns came and went during its 20-year tenure, and Gunsmoke was the sole survivor, with Alias Smith and Jones and Bonanza both leaving the airwaves 2+12 years earlier in January 1973.

Legacy

Longevity records

The television series was the longest-running, primetime, live-action television series at 20 seasons, until September 2019 with the 21st-season premiere of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit . [55] The original Law & Order , which was canceled in 2010 after tying Gunsmoke's longevity record for a live-action, primetime television series, began its 21st season in February 2022. [56] As of 2017, it had the highest number of scripted episodes for any U.S. primetime, commercial, live-action television series. On April 29, 2018, The Simpsons surpassed the show for the most scripted episodes. [57] Some foreign-made programs have been broadcast in the U.S. and contend for the position as the longest-running prime-time series. As of 2016, Gunsmoke was rated fourth globally, after Doctor Who (1963–present), Taggart (1983–2010), [58] and The Bill (1984–2010).

Gunsmoke is the last fictional primetime show that debuted in the 1950s to leave the air and only one of three shows from the 1960s that lasted past its final season in 1974–75.[ citation needed ]

Character longevity

James Arness and Milburn Stone portrayed their Gunsmoke characters for 20 consecutive years, a feat later matched by Kelsey Grammer as the character Frasier Crane, but over two half-hour sitcoms ( Cheers and Frasier ). [59] This feat would be surpassed by Mariska Hargitay, who has portrayed the character Olivia Benson on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit for over 23 consecutive years to date. [60] George Walsh, the announcer for Gunsmoke, began in 1952 on the radio series and continued until the television series was canceled in 1975. [17]

James Arness, Milburn Stone, Ken Curtis, Dennis Weaver, and Amanda Blake are all inductees of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. [61]

Dodge City's Boot Hill Museum has a tribute to Gunsmoke, including set furniture from the 1960s and an old television tuned to the show. Signed photographs from the show's actors and other memorabilia are on display including a vest worn by Sam the bartender and a dress worn by Miss Kitty. [62] In 2015, several of the surviving staff reunited at Wild West Fest in Dodge City, including stars Burt Reynolds, Buck Taylor, Jess Walton, Bruce Boxleitner, and writer Jim Byrnes. [63]

In media

A fight scene between Arness and guest star John Anderson from the 1958 episode "Buffalo Man" appears in the educational film Film Editing: Interpretation and Value, produced by American Cinema Editors. Footage from the scene is used in editing classes in many film schools in the United States.

The Gunsmoke brand was used to endorse numerous products, including cottage cheese [64] and cigarettes.

The Hartland toy company included an 8" (19th scale) plastic Matt Dillion figure and his horse Old Faithful Buck in their line of famous TV cowboys and horses during the 1950s.

Lowell Toy Manufacturing Corporation ("It's a Lowell Game") issued Gunsmoke as game No. 822. [65] Other products include Gunsmoke puzzles, [66]

Comics

  • Dell Comics published numerous issues of their Four Color comics series on Gunsmoke [67] (including issues #679, 720, 769, 797, 844 and, in 1958–1962, #6–27). [68]
  • Gold Key Comics continued with issues #1–6 in 1969–70. [67] [69]
  • A comic strip version of the series ran in British newspapers for several years under the show's UK title, Gun Law.
  • Hardcover comic BBC Gunsmoke Annuals were marketed in Great Britain under the authority of the BBC which had broadcasting rights there. [70]
  • Gunsmoke comics in Spanish were published under the title Aventura la ley del revolver [71] (Gun-Law Adventures).

Books

  • In 1957, Ballantine Books published a collection of short stories. [72] Each story is based on a half-hour Gunsmoke episode. Although a photo of James Arness and the CBS TV logo are on the book cover, in at least one story Matt introduces Chester as "Chester Proudfoot", an indication that the stories are actually adapted from radio scripts.
  • Whitman Books published
    • Gunsmoke by Robert Turner in 1958, and
    • Gunsmoke: "Showdown on Front Street" [73] by Paul S. Newman in 1969 ...
  • In 1970, Popular Library published the following paperback book written by Chris Stratton:
    • Gunsmoke
  • In 1974, Award Books published the following paperback books written by Jackson Flynn based on the television series:
    • Gunsmoke #1: "The Renegades" [74]
    • Gunsmoke #2: "Shootout"
    • Gunsmoke #3: "Duel at Dodge City"
    • Gunsmoke #4: "Cheyenne Vengeance"
  • In 1998, Boulevard Books published the following paperbacks written by Gary McCarthy based on the TV series:
    • Gunsmoke
    • Gunsmoke: "Dead Man's Witness"
    • Gunsmoke: "Marshal Festus"
  • A series of novels based upon the television series written by Joseph A. West with forewords by James Arness was published by Signet:
    • Gunsmoke: "Blood, Bullets and Buckskin", January 2005 ( ISBN   0-451-21348-3)
    • Gunsmoke: "The Last Dog Soldier", May 2005 ( ISBN   0-451-21491-9)
    • Gunsmoke: "Blizzard of Lead", September 2005 ( ISBN   0-451-21633-4)
    • Gunsmoke: "The Reckless Gun", May 2006 ( ISBN   0-451-21923-6)
    • Gunsmoke: "Dodge the Devil", October 2006 ( ISBN   0-451-21972-4)
    • Gunsmoke: "The Day of the Gunfighter", January 2007 ( ISBN   0-451-22015-3)
    • "Gunsmoke: An American Institution, Celebrating 50 Years of Television's Best Western" Written by Ben Costello, Foreword by Jim Byrnes, and Introduction by Jon Voight and published by Five Star Publications, Inc.(now Story Monsters LLC) Published 1 edition (December 22, 2012), ISBN   978-1589852228

Independent e-book

  • Gunsmoke: Battlefield Dodge, June 2015 [75]

Music

  • On February 12, 1993, country music artist Toby Keith released his debut single Should've Been a Cowboy . The first verse of the song references the main characters of Gunsmoke, in which Marshal Dillon never settled down with his love interest Miss Kitty.

Explanatory notes

    Related Research Articles

    Matt Dillon (<i>Gunsmoke</i>) Fictional character in the US TV series

    Matt Dillon is a fictional character featured on both the radio and television versions of Gunsmoke. He is the U.S. Marshal of Dodge City, Kansas, who works to preserve law and order in the western frontier of the 1870s. The character was created by writer John Meston. The character evolved considerably during nine years on CBS Radio and twenty years on CBS Television.

    John Lyman Meston was an American scriptwriter best known for co-creating with producer Norman Macdonnell the long-running Western series Gunsmoke. He developed storylines and wrote radio scripts and teleplays for 379 episodes for the series, which was first broadcast on CBS Radio in 1952, and then adapted to the "small screen", as well, airing on television from 1955 to 1975. In addition to his work on Gunsmoke, Meston also served as a writer and editorial supervisor for other radio programs such as Escape, Suspense, Lux Radio Theater, and Fort Laramie; and in the 1970s, he wrote several episodes for two other television series, Little House on the Prairie and Hec Ramsey.

    Norman Scarth Macdonnell was an American producer for radio, television, and feature films. He is best known for co-creating with writer John Meston the Western series Gunsmoke, which was broadcast on CBS Radio from 1952 to 1961, and on television from 1955 to 1975.

    Gunsmoke is an American Western television series developed by Charles Marquis Warren and based on the radio program of the same name. The series ran for 20 seasons, making it the longest-running Western in television history.

    Gunsmoke is an American Western television series developed by Charles Marquis Warren and based on the radio program of the same name. The series ran for 20 seasons, making it the longest-running Western in television history.

    Gunsmoke is an American Western television series developed by Charles Marquis Warren and based on the radio program of the same name. The series ran for 20 seasons, making it the longest-running Western in television history.

    Gunsmoke is an American Western television series developed by Charles Marquis Warren and based on the radio program of the same name. The series ran for 20 seasons, making it the longest-running Western in television history.

    Gunsmoke is an American Western television series developed by Charles Marquis Warren and based on the radio program of the same name. The series ran for 20 seasons, making it the longest-running Western in television history.

    Gunsmoke is an American Western television series developed by Charles Marquis Warren and based on the radio program of the same name. The series ran for 20 seasons, making it the longest-running Western in television history.

    Gunsmoke is an American Western television series developed by Charles Marquis Warren and based on the radio program of the same name. The series ran for 20 seasons, making it the longest-running Western in television history.

    Gunsmoke is an American Western television series developed by Charles Marquis Warren and based on the radio program of the same name. The series ran for 20 seasons, making it the longest-running Western in television history.

    Gunsmoke is an American Western television series developed by Charles Marquis Warren and based on the radio program of the same name. The series ran for 20 seasons, making it the longest-running Western in television history.

    Gunsmoke is an American Western television series developed by Charles Marquis Warren and based on the radio program of the same name. The series ran for 20 seasons, making it the longest-running Western in television history.

    Gunsmoke is an American Western television series developed by Charles Marquis Warren and based on the radio program of the same name. The series ran for 20 seasons, making it the longest-running Western in television history.

    Gunsmoke is an American Western television series developed by Charles Marquis Warren and based on the radio program of the same name. The series ran for 20 seasons, making it the longest-running Western in television history.

    Gunsmoke is an American Western television series developed by Charles Marquis Warren and based on the radio program of the same name. The series ran for 20 seasons, making it the longest-running Western in television history.

    Gunsmoke is an American Western television series developed by Charles Marquis Warren and based on the radio program of the same name. The series ran for 20 seasons, making it the longest-running Western in television history.

    Gunsmoke is an American Western television series developed by Charles Marquis Warren and based on the radio program of the same name. The series ran for 20 seasons, making it the longest-running Western in television history.

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    Further reading